Lydia, this is awesome! Thanks SO much. I have read through literally everything on the Survival Guide, First Timers Guide, Preparation, and so on, and there's still questions that occur to me that are not covered there.

Q - I came up from sea level and i can't seem to shake this headache. Why is that?

A - Well, there are various possibilities, but there's a good chance that altitude and aridity are having their way with you. DRINK WATER!
A headache is one of the first signs of both altitude sickness and of dehydration. Drink lots of water, starting a few days before you leave for the playa, and drink tons of water while you are there.
If you are coming from below 3000 feet altitude, it's not a bad idea to start taking chorophyll (ask your friendly neighborhood health store) a few days before you leave, to help oxygenate your system. Exercising a little harder than usual for a few weeks ahead to improve your wind can help too.
Go easy on the alchohol, especially the first 3 days. It will likely have more effect on you than usual, so one beer may do the work of two. This goes for any intoxicants a person might ingest, not that i suggest you ingest anything.

Be careful of lots of sun exposure, even if it's not crazy hot. There is just plain more sunshine on the playa (on a sunny day) than most anywhere that's not a big flat pale desert. It IS possible to get sun poisoning, so be mindful of what your body tells you...

Amusingly enough, this is all my standard speech for people just arriving in Denver and/or going to the mountains directly from low altitudes.

honeyfire wrote:Amusingly enough, this is all my standard speech for people just arriving in Denver and/or going to the mountains directly from low altitudes.

*laughs* Yep, sounds pretty familiar to me too. Everyone always thinks I'm exaggerating until they get here and try and walk up the stairs to my apartment. Then they believe me.

One of the definte benefits to going to BMan from just about anywhere in Colorado is already being adjusted to the altitude and low humidity (although it is more humid here than it is on the playa, most likely). If I was still living in Seattle, I'd be so screwed.

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."
~Mark Twain

Q: Is the dust as bad as I keep hearing?
A: Yes. Nothing will prepare you for it. Be as prepared as you can anyway. Dust masks and goggles are GOOD. Babywipes help. It's alkaline... so an acidic footwash is necessary (vinegar or lemon juice in water) *every day*. It will get in every nook and cranny on you and everything you own. If you are like me, you will become weirdly fond of it.

A: Nonsense. Again, YMMV but I find walking barefoot on a dusty playa street to be one of life's great sensual pleasures. I'm like that. Again, with the footcare thing. I tend to go all hippie more earlier in the week, and less later. Don't do it all day and night long, and don't go to bed with dusty feet (if you can help it...) Try gooping the heck out of your dogs before putting them in socks before bed. Feels funny for 2 seconds; dries quicker than you'd ever believe. I tend to start doing that everytime I put my shoes on later in the week. YMMV.

If you see a little crack(s) and you feel just a little stinging, guess what? You got playa foot, and your barefoot hippie ways are over. That's what I heard, anyway... When I was hangin' round the Med tent...

Q: Where can I get medical care if I do get sick/injured?
A: This is covered in the Survival Guide, but I think it warants elaboration here. There is a main medical site at Center Camp, run by a vendor called REMSA. This facility is staffed by certified medical personelle. If you want serious attention, this is a good place for it. If you are away from Center Camp, there are two sites that can take care of you, or dispatch you to REMSA. One is at the 3:00 circle, called Outpost Berlin, the other is at the 9:00 circle, called Outpost Tokyo. These are good places for follow-up care also, since they tend to be less busy than the main site. I have found the quality of care to be excellent in both, and a good place to chill out if you're dealing with serious dehydration sickness...or just need a caring set of ears.

Q: What if I have a bad trip, or are otherwise having a really bad emotional experience (be it caused by dehydration sickness or otherwise)?
A: Near Center Camp is Sanctuary. It is an outpost specifically designed and staffed by caring people who are trained in mental issues. Usually these kind of issues crop up due to dehydration/altitude sickness, and they are capable of giving you water, a hug, or whatever to get to back on your feet. I might go in there if I need a sanctuary like place to just chill out and/or cry for a while. They even have stuffed animals to hold!

Q: I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict, etc. I've heard it's just one huge drunk/drug fest. Should I be afraid/can I go?

A: I don't know about fear, but I would definitely approach the event with a healthy dose of respect. I'm a recovering addict and alcoholic with 7 yrs clean/sober...and I went to BM last year and had the fucking time of my life with zero problems. If you're comfortable being sober without being cocky about it, you should do fine.

Contrary to what outsiders seem to think, not everybody's drunk or high or tripping or whatever. But it is a party atmosphere, and you should be prepared.

If you're sober/clean on your own - good for you! Make it clear to people around you and you'll most likely find them totally respectful. Just remember that there's a lot of gifting going on, so be prepared to have stuff offered to you over and over.

I found that it was very helpful for me to remember that when people were offering me stuff, they were offering me some of the most valuable currency on the playa - you know? One I realized that, it was really easy for me to turn down their offers graciously and be honestly thankful for the gesture without making sobriety or recovery - which frankly are *my* issues - become issues in their attempting a really generous gesture of goodwill.

It pays to be careful, though: some people are so eager for you to join in the fun they may be more forthcoming with the gift than they are with the gift's full implications. (I almost, for example, gleefully ate what ended up being one wicked slice of dried papaya.) So, ask! Not a single person that I asked (Is this JUST a cucumber slice? bottle of water? blue raspberry lollipop? tab of aci--oh, wait) got offended.

If you are clean/sober and you attend 12-step metings - good for you! I can guarantee you that the meetings on the playa will be at once A) just like home, and B) unlike anywhere else in the entire world. You'll love 'em.

Last year there were two (that I'm aware of) recovery camps that held 12-step meetings on regular schedules. And there are plenty of veteran burners who once experienced BM drunk, high, or whatever, and who now come back every year, sober, and have a blast. (It's not just a rave, you know...there's a zillion and eight cool things going on.)

One of the recovery camps, is called Anonymous Camp, and it'll be back this year. Don't know the name of the other one, but the kind people at center camp can help you locate them and/or any others that are around.

Skyler wrote:Q: How gay/lesbian (bi/trans/tranv) friendly is the event?

A: Very. That doesn't mean you might not meet the occasional person with hang-ups, but (depending on where you live IRL) you're probably far, far, far less likely to meet them on the playa than in your own real-life neighborhood.

The lines all seem to blur anyway. Fearlessly be yourself. If you can't do it at BM, you can't do it anywhere.

(This was actually one of the most burning questions I had before going for my first time last year. I wish that someone had just responded to my asking the above question by asking me: Q) How straight friendly are YOU? Sounds weird, I know, but I had a hard time accepting just how accepting all the straight people were.)

Q: Are there gay areas and straight areas?

A: Kinda. There are a few camps geared to cater specifically to gays and some specifically to straights. But they're really something of a rarity.

In terms of the city itself: I was told, while visiting one camp around 7:00-8:00 (on the map, K?), that I was in the center of the traditional "gay area" of Black Rock City. Aside from numerous rainbow flags flapping in the breeze, I honestly couldn't tell the difference.

I camped waaaay over at 2:30. Some of my gay friends (who camped, of course, in the center of the "gay area") caustically called my slice of Black Rock "the straight suburbs." And yeah, come to think of it, all my neighbors were straight. And they were all totally, totally cool...even after I put up a nice-sized *sign* declaring my man-on-man-hotness-predilection. (Hard to explain, but I basically did it on a dare.)

So...out of all the places in the world to segregate yourself, are you absolutely SURE you want to do it at Burning Man? I myself met some other gay guys that I enjoyed hanging with while I was there. But interestingly (and unexpectedly) the people that turned into friends afterwards were all straight.

Q: I'm going out for an hour or two on the playa tonight. Do I need to bring water with me?

A: Oh GOD yes. You will dehydrate even at night, and short playa jaunts easily grow longer. Bring water, in a container, attached to your body, or you and everyone you camp with will later be sorry.

Q: What do i need to remember for night on the playa?

A: Visibility. You should be able to see where you are going. More importantly, everyone else should be able to see - and therefore avoid hurting - you. It's very very dark out there.

Q: What extra medical precautions do i need to take?

A: Aside from the oft-mentioned heat, dehydration, and playa foot, it's worth noting that nothing will heal on the playa. Open wounds will dry out, but short of a miracle, the skin will not knit and will not heal until you leave the desert. It is also far more likely to leave you with deep and lasting scars. Therefore, use caution with contacting the playa, sawing PVC, manipulating glass, wielding a knife, etc etc etc.

Q- I still can't find the answer to my question, not in the Survival Guide (which I have read thoroughly), not in this thread, and not in a quick scan of the other threads on this page!

A- Look up, high up, towards the flames. There are orange words, and one of them says 'search'. Click on that one, and you can search all the boards and all the threads for what you need help with. It's highly likely that someone has wondered the same thing as you, and you'll be able to find it that way. Remember, spelling counts.

If you can't find what you are looking for through the search, pose your question, making sure to make the subject of your thread clearly related to your question....titling a thread "Help this Newbie" or something equally broad, may not bring you the answers you are looking for.

Q: Should I give someone straight water if they're having dehyration sickness, or Gatoraid?

A: If they are really dehyrated, give them 1/4 tsp. salt in a quart of citrus juice. Follow this link that explains why electrolyte replacement is important in that situation and why sugary drinks like Gatoraid are bad.

I live where it is hot and humid and I sweat buckets and don't worry about drinking water all the time. What's the big deal?

You are probably sweating a whole lot more than you do at home but don't realize it. The air in the high desert is very dry and your sweat evaporates as it appears, in high humidity the sweat hangs around a lot longer and you don't cool down as fast. I have gotten out of a pool in the desert with a good breeze going and the water evaporated so fast that I felt chilled even though the air temps were in the 90's.

Silver 2 wrote:I live where it is hot and humid and I sweat buckets and don't worry about drinking water all the time. What's the big deal?

You are probably sweating a whole lot more than you do at home but don't realize it. The air in the high desert is very dry and your sweat evaporates as it appears, in high humidity the sweat hangs around a lot longer and you don't cool down as fast. I have gotten out of a pool in the desert with a good breeze going and the water evaporated so fast that I felt chilled even though the air temps were in the 90's.

Um, perhaps you've never been in the Med tent at BM. You've been before right? There are people dropping left and right from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. A lot of the burners are from the Bay Area and other places where it is much cooler.

Silver 2 wrote:I live where it is hot and humid and I sweat buckets and don't worry about drinking water all the time. What's the big deal?

You are probably sweating a whole lot more than you do at home but don't realize it. The air in the high desert is very dry and your sweat evaporates as it appears, in high humidity the sweat hangs around a lot longer and you don't cool down as fast. I have gotten out of a pool in the desert with a good breeze going and the water evaporated so fast that I felt chilled even though the air temps were in the 90's.

Um, perhaps you've never been in the Med tent at BM. You've been before right? There are people dropping left and right from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. A lot of the burners are from the Bay Area and other places where it is much cooler.

Um silver 2 was posing a question answer format he just forgot the Q & A. It was why you should drink lots of water.

Miss Jen wrote:Is there any kind of Burning man Community functioning in Australia? I like this guy's eyes eh!

but seriously... is there significance to the location of the current burning man community or would there be groups organised somewhere in Oz?

Hmm let's try this

Q: Are there groups of burners around the world where I could meet and talk with people year round?
A: Yes there are regional groups all over the world. You access them from the main BM site, click on Black Rock City Year Round, then the regional contacts link, last choose your area.

"If you have to leave BRC to make a call, consider using the bus service to Empire / Gerlach. It only costs $5, vs $20 to drive your own vehicle through the gate."

Q: Can I find specific info on the bus to Gerlach somewhere? Will it still be running on Sunday, Sept. 5th?

I'm trying to find a way for my daughter to get off the playa so I can pick her up and bring home in time for school - without having to pay for a ticket myself or make my friends pay the $20 to drive her out....

and, no:
... travels between Black Rock City and the nearby towns of Gerlach and Empire. The Burning Bus of Black Rock City leaves approximately every hour; between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Wednesday; between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Thursday - Friday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday

On the other hand, if she is not hauling a lot of stuff (and she would have trouble on the bus with a bunch of stuff anyway) She could hike out to the greeters station or even the road and you could pick her up there. From where she would have to catch the bus I don't think it could be more than 3 or 4 miles and on Sunday she could probably get a ride.

Question/statement: I am afraid of the sand storms/sand and that they will hurt, damage my car, be hard to walk in etc.

Answer: There is no sand on the Playa. Think more caustic baby powder. To simulate a dust storm get several large fans, and several large containers of talc and dump the talc in front of the fans set on high. It is very 'soft' and will not damage your car or hurt. Unless of course you run into the car because you could not see it one foot away.

The below is part of a reply to someone who asked me this specific question...

Q- I thought that the rainfly on my tent would be my shade. Will this work?

A- No, i'm sorry to tell you that it will not.
The difficulty is that the fly is only about 2 inches (at most) from the actual tent, which is not nearly enough to get the ventilation needed to make it effective as shade. You would need your shade structure to be two feet above the tent at the very least. Three would be better. The difficulty that this presents is that the further away the shade is from the tent, the larger it needs to be to present a useful "footprint'. The footprint will also move during the course of the day, as the sun moves across the sky. The mid-day into late afternoon is the most important coverage to have, as that is when the sun is at it's fiercest and the heat builds up the most. How you place your shade structure will depend on how your tent is oriented. Ex: If your tent is a long rectangle, and the long side is going North/South, then it will have the maximal exposure to the Sun as it travels from East to West. You would need a really wide structure to keep the tent shaded along it's whole length. This is made only more complcated by the fact that the prevailing breeze along the playa runs from Southwest to Northeast (ish). Naturally, you want your narrowest face pointing into the wind, to reduce available sail area. Yet you also want your door facing away from the wind, so you don't automatically get a snootful of dust every time you open your door. I mean, you'll get plenty of dust in your tent, don't think otherwise, but it'd be even more with the door facing into the wind. Besides, if you have to open the door when it's really windy, and the door is facing into the wind, you'd then be offering up the entire inside of your tent as sail surface... That would be bad.
What's a poor fella to do, you ask. Well, i can make some suggestions, but you'll also wanna read through every last scrap of shade structure info you can find. There's some good links in the shade structure thread.
But basically, you want the lower part of your shade structure pointing South, you want it 3 feet or so from the top of your tent, you want slits in the surface to reduce wind resistance, you want to be able to make the frame really secure to the ground and the fabric really secure to the frame. If you are driving in yourself, you might look into ways to secure the shade frame and the tent frame to your car. I've never heard of any cars blowing away, though if you have a Mini Cooper, i make no promises *wicked grin* Also, if you are driving in yourself, park your car with the nose pointing Southeast and pitch your tent on the Northeast side of it. Cars make ducky windbreaks. It has been pointed out that climbing rope, like rock climbers use, is good for tying stuff down, as the tiny bit of flex helps reduce the chance of breakage.

A: While the Burning Man Guide offers so general suggestions about pregnancy, you should of course consult with your doctor. Just because someone else did and had no problem, doesn't mean that you will have the same experience.

Alot depends on your stage of pregnancy and your particular medical condition. There are all sorts of things, that only your doctor can make a good guess about how it will be for you. Taking an RV, or not moving around during the day, might be the only way to guarantee that you don't get overheated. Extreme heat during the first trimester can cause neural defects in babies, for instance.

A: Start saving $10 a week NOW for the 2005 event. Commit to it and stick to it. By about March when the ticket sales start you'll have more than enough for a lower tier bargain price ticket. Buy the ticket. Keep saving. This gives you over $500 total to budget between ticket/supplies/travel, a bare minimum as its easy to get to needing $100+ a week to put on something big but save that for later. Go for it, its so worth the experience. If things don't work out, the ticket is easily sold for face value so you can start over and try for the next year.

Q: I saw several RVs with tire blowouts on the road to Black Rock City. How I can I prevent this happening to me?

A: Keep tires inflated to proper pressure and have them checked by a shop before leaving to ensure they are sound. My tire shop friend says he replaces his 5th wheel tires every 4 years just to keep ahead of dry rot and also warns that most RV's are running the maximum weight allowed on the tires...so any overloading/underinflating/overheating can quickly increase odds of tire blowouts. I am taking my own advice and replacing my bus tires this week and each one (aack!!) costs about TWO BurningMan tickets...and there are six. Sigh. But my and my passengers safety (as well as fellow road users) makes it worth it. No dining out for me for awhile.

Note on tires. The pressure changes from day to night. So check then if your runing at nite. Also tire pressure changes with different altitudes. Do a circle saftey around your vehicle each time you stop. If you have one of those 12volt compressor. It will work as expected if you jack up your vehicle a little.